ConcoursMustang Forums
1st Generation 1964 1/2 - 1973 - Questions & general discussions that apply to a specific year => 1966 Mustang => Topic started by: Josep on January 25, 2018, 03:47:38 AM
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Excuse my ignorance, but I have never heard that way of calling a Mustang, Challenger.!
I was googling this morning when it came through
http://www.automobile-catalog.com/car/1966/830270/ford_mustang_convertible_challenger_v-8_cruise-o-matic.html
Did you know about this..? What’s true about this matter..?
Josep
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I believe this to be reference to an "engine" name, not the vehicle name.
Some other examples of engines with "names" over and above what is typical, displacement and carburation, include:
Cobra Jet
Boss
Thunderbird Special
Police Special
Commando (Mopar)
and for 67 we had the 390 engine called the "390 GT". A lot of us have had to talk many owners of 390 GT equipped Mustangs that their car was not a GT or GTA because it did not also have the GT equipment group option.
Engine nomenclature can be a source of confusion. Chalk it up to marketing.
Back to this specific case, Dodge did not introduce the Challenger until the 1970 model year, so there was no conflict.
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I believe this to be reference to an "engine" name, not the vehicle name.
Yep. The 289 was the “Challenger” V8. I’ve seen this in some old documentation. I think it was marketing brochures.
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OK, thanks for the explanation guys.!
Josep
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Yep. The 289 was the “Challenger” V8. I’ve seen this in some old documentation. I think it was marketing brochures.
+1
Yep, The 289 Motor was referred to as the "Challenger V8" by Ford
:o)
Tony K.
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Josep : Just to give you (and others), a little more detail on the "Challenger V8 Engine", here it is. When the 1964-1/2, February 1964 Brochure was printed, there was no reference to a "Challenger V8" ; only a 164 hp 260 V8, a 210 hp 289, and a 271 hp 289 to be available in June of 1964 (first picture attached). Sometime between then and the 1965 Brochure that was printed in April of 1965, the "Challenger V8's" appeared ; 200 hp 289, 225 hp 289 and 271 hp (HiPo) 289, all noted as "289 Challenger V8's" (second picture). Then, in 1966, the 200 hp and 225 hp 289's were still noted as "Challenger V8's", but the 271 hp 289 was now called a "Cobra V8" (third picture). These same designations continued in 1967 (fourth picture). For 1968, the only remaining 289 was the 2 bbl carburetor 195 hp (down from the previous 200 hp) "Challenger V8". Replacing the other 289's were the "302 (five-liter)", 4 bbl 230 hp V8, the "390 Thunderbird V8", 2 bbl, 280 hp , and the 390 "Thunderbird Special V8" , 4 bbl, 325 hp (carried over from 1967 but with 5 more hp). Gone, of course, was the HiPo 289 (fifth picture). Then in 1969, gone are all 289's.
With more digging into my resources I could probably have narrowed the dates down a little "tighter", but I figured that this was good enough to describe the evolution and disappearance of the Ford "Challenger V8's".
Bob
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From an original (not reproduction) brochure titled "Total Performance 1965 Mustangs" p 14 - 15 (published April 1965). The Challenger Special V-8 and the Challenger High Performance V-8 are both called out.
Regards,
Ron
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Wow! Thank you very much guys for such a detailed information, with all those documents!!
I really appreciate your explanations, very interesting.
Josep
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This may need to be a separate topic, but what is a 1968 302 306hp sport car racing only special order engine?
I've heard of the J code 302, but never heard of this one.
Sounds like a 1968 Shelby GT350 engine.
The more I hang out here the more stuff I hear about that I've never heard of in my 40+ years around these cars!
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"This may need to be a separate topic, but what is a 1968 302 306hp sport car racing only special order engine?
I've heard of the J code 302, but never heard of this one.
Sounds like a 1968 Shelby GT350 engine."
Wasn't it for SCCA homologation? The race prepped SCCA Camaro's of the period were also using Chevrolet's 302 engine.
Matt
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I get the why -- I've just never seen a car in a car show or magazine with this spec engine in it.
Later we get Tunnel Rams, but this engine? I've never seen one in a production car, Maybe all of them became race cars and were not titled for the street?